EfemenaXY:


That sounds good.

I started mine two weeks ago. I made a huge pot of Jollof rice for the family and some moi-moi with fried plantains and green vegs for them. I knew I would be tempted so while cooking those, decided to make beans porridge. Most of my kids don't like beans anyway, so I decided to make it with everything (tomatoes, pepper, onions, crayfish, seasoning) but without any palm oil. Then placed them in plastic seal-able containers - but before storing them away, added some mixed vegetables (sweetcorn, carrots, green peas, broccoli, and Brussel sprouts). That served as my main lunch. I also take an assortment of fruits with me to nibble on mid-morning (a banana, clementine, green & purple grapes, and an apple). A strawberry yourghurt for dessert shortly after lunch and some roasted cashew nuts to nibble on at tea-time. Also helps keep me awake during boring telephone meetings.

I know it might sound a lot but I still stick religiously to my lime and lemon concotion every morning + some cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, and a litre of water for breakfast. Kinda explains why I feel ravenous by lunch time (12noon)

That's very good. Beans is also a good base meal.

You will get more creative as the time goes on and buying lunch will eventually become a once in a while treat for you .

You are trying with the breakfast o .me I have something a bit more filling which is always mostly unsweetened oats and a fruit/veg though. Some days I have 0% Greek yoghurt and a bannana, some days 1 whole meal toast boiled eggs and a tomato but I must chop.

I work out in the mornings now and have very light dinners so I would just faint if I did not have a somewhat filling breakfast .also means I snack less. Snacking was my greatest issue.

EfemenaXY:


I'm looking up to you for motivation. These last couple of weeks have been hectic 'n all - and this weekend has been a lazy sort of one for me. I desperately need to kick start my motivational va-va-voom to start going. Like you, I've not done much exercising either and climbed on the scale to make sure there aren't any extra lbs creeping in but it's hard this winter. I've managed to be er...fairly careful with my calorific intake but I know I need to do better.

Oya answer my question about making your own lunch to work....what motivates you et al? What do you do with the money you save? Biko, I need to learn some Ijebu tricks from you

Loool at ijebu tricks .. Yeah it also saves. Money.

At all the money I save.. one thing stops another thing takes over. I need a brand new wardrobe so all the savings has been overshadowed with me getting new clothes as my old ones were beginning to look ridiculous on me .

EfemenaXY:
Damiso - question for you:

What motivated you to start making / taking your lunch to work? And how do you ensure you've got a healthy selection and that you don't get bored?

I started copy-catting you and didn't even realize prior to that that I was easily spending £10 - £12 on average, daily.

My office is in a awkward location and so you don't have a wide range of places to get food s not to talk of healthy options. I also have a 30min lunch most days cos that way I can leave early to pick up and do activities with my daughter during the week. So I realised by having my lunch with me just saved the time on going to get something to eat.

It also helps me to not eat junk when I meal prep and plan ahead. So on Sunday's I make 3 different meals and put in the fridge and just pick up every morning on my way out.

To mix it up I could make a base meal ie jollof brown rice or quinoa at weekend then have it with various salads/steamed broccoli/spinach and then maybe fish/grilled chicken depending on what is available. So the base meal is already prepped but the other stuff would take less than 15 mins to make the night before.

I also find healthier meals tend to take less time to prepare. Also you know when you make it yourself there are 'unwanted' additives

Efemenaxy abeg come and help your sister o, my falling off the wagon this last week has been epic I had 5 Christmas dos and ate all sorts **covers face ***

Weighed myself yesterday and thankfully not put on any weight as I have also been working out 6 days a week . but chai I don't trust myself this week o I don't even have the zeal to work out anything just been lazing around all day. Need to go to out get a few bits sef but just not motivated to even stand up from the bed.my iPad battery just died so maybe that's a cue

I think I need that your grass throughout next week

EfemenaXY:


Lol @ declining food. You know most people decline on superstitious grounds as per catching witchcraft Cleanliness is a completely different ball game.

Re: Work - I've got both weeks off.

Lucky you.. It will be quiet next week I guess will use that time to get cracking on certain tasks.


My mum that woman eh .. I got a bit of my OCD from her. She used to tell my aunties off that sometimes untidy is allowed when you have lil kids but filth is not and I agree.That kitchen is filthy and is harbouring zillions of germs.. My body was itching just looking at the picture.

All these toddlers and food wahala ..

Wait for all the tests and if she is ok medically maybe mix it up a bit. Also take phemas advice no matter how lil as long as she is taking something in .try and delay liquids in between cos I think sometimes the liquids full them up.

She will outgrow it eventually ..my daughter was like that has now outgrown it.

EfemenaXY:


Lol!

Are you serious?

No work today, Dami?

Yes o ..my mum would always stylishly decline food and even give us daggers to do same in certain houses as I grew older I realised it was due to the kitchens and bathrooms being not as clean as desired.

No work for me o till next week .. We had to split it out within the team to be fair so I got this week and some others next week

***pukes **utterly disgusting

No wonder my mum says before you accept to eat in a persons house stylishly enter the kitchen and toilet first .She would say Those two rooms kinda determine how clean/dirty a person is .

Happy anniversary cococandy God continue to bless and keep your home

edwife:
Hello house,

I want to thank everyone for the kind wishes and prayers,i am indeed blessed.I just want to let y'all know that my aunt and cousin are doing great,they are home now.Thank you very much for caring.It has been a challenge most of the part but also a blessing as my aunt received a lot of letters and an incredible amount of blessing from well wishers worldwide,the love alone was enough to make her and my cousin fight for their lives.To my ever selfless cousin "mon amie de tout le temps,de tous les jours" may he continue to rest in peace.

I am sorry this is coming late,was caught up with deadlines and family.To each and everyone of you who remembered me,may you find comfort in your time of need.Amen.

cc Chillisauce,Damiso,Ewuro,Kimoni,efemenaxy,xoxom,Ifyalways,naijabe,tearoses,byvan03,pickabeau,Bellong,cococandy,mindfulness,salsera,bukatyne, daretodiffer.

It is well dear..thank God for healing

He is not the government so should not be BLAMED for under development. Governments are accountable for infrastructure and economic/growth of regions they oversee.


That said, ( without using the over used Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates analogy) wealthy black people need to feel a sense of responsibility to give back. Yeah you worked hard( not always sef some wealthy people in Nigeria made mega big bucks with some sort of govt patronage/monopoly/influence ) for your money and its your right to spend it how you wish but I don't get how people are comfortable having soooo much ( half of which you don't even NEED) in the midst of so much squalor and poverty. In the west it is possible to be insulated from poverty to an extent if you are very rich ,but in Nigeria except you are ferried around in helicopters all the time it will confront one way or the other from time to time.

Give me 10 Tai Solarins anyday to certain 'rich,powerful, and influential' Nigerians.

Kimoni:


@bolded: I wish I was Dami.

Pls allow me rant a little

Schools are on hols and my hands are full I keep settling meaningless squabbles. I have to beg and scream before they eat. I ask them what they wanna eat, and the minute you dish it, they change their mind to something else and I have to scream and sream. These are very hard times for moi. You plan your vacation to spend time with these young peeps but after 3 days, you start questioning that decision. I sleep tired, I wake up tired. They have a nanny but once they see me, she ceases to exist. I have to be on permanent duty. Sambarry help!!!!!

I wish schools would vacate 24th of Dec and not 3 weeks before Xmas Ki lo maa n se awon teachers yen gaan naa

I know that feeling when you are secretly thinking ' I love you but whaatt my 'supposed' holiday does not even feel like one''


I love my kids to pieces but sometimes that they make me feel like screaming the squabbling /food is the most annoying bit. My son is the master of that one. But I cant allow any child kee me you ask for something you don't eat it then you are not hungry niyen. When you are hungry you will eat , I did not kill my mother ( cant believe the day would come when I would start using that line )

Thank God they only have 2 weeks break here( break up on Friday ) and of that two I am working on some days in between.

armyofone:
No don't, let kids have fun as long as they like thinking about imaginary man and Rudolph. That's the most exciting thing left for them in December with its bitter cold and sunless month. I'm just dreaming of Santa land in Texas. Imagine driving through 3 million lights can't wait to visit.

Don't mind me jare.


Keeping up santa is work joor someone has to be wrapping presents in the night after they have slept, be hiding gift all around so lets just get it over and done with ojare.

Fun room is so quiet. Everyone is chasing that paper abi is it pepper. Abeg make una share reach my side

LewsTherin:


Ha ha ha ha!

At least he didn't say who eats the milk and cookies!!

to be honest though I was sincerely looking forward to getting rid of the whole Santa charade but I was hoping for another 2/3 years so by then her brother would have been a bit older and we just get it over and done with once and for all

Meanwhile her brother thinks Santa is Bill Gates with the ever increasing list of train toys/track sets

see jamb question..

baby124:
Still waiting for robust reply... I even have grey hair from waiting

Oloun ku aibinu

Hello everyone

Compliments of the season


Edwife how are you dear? All will be well by Gods Grace.


Am I the only scrooge not fully in the Christmas spirit ?

I just want to spend all the time off in my pyjamas sleeping eating and binge watching tv


My daughter (6) said yesterday 'mummy my friend said her sister said santa is not real that you and daddy buy all the gifts. I asked daddy and he said its true '

I need to teach that man some PC

pickabeau1:
You are 21...no job
No set time before kids come
Will finish school in 4 years time



Potential scenario 1 (4 years)
26 years old
Housewife....no job
Mother of 2....one in the oven already
Education syspended



Potential scenario 2 (4 years)

Just about to graduate
About to wed
A job or business venture in the waiting
More mature couple



Well......... the elders say when food is sweeting someone...no other food will be worth it


My advice

Slow down till you're in year 3
You will be 23 he 31

You will know more about each other

No marriage discussion till 2 years

This is what I will also advise.

To me one of the most inspiring Nigerians ever.

and like you said Kimoni His legacy lives on.

ayolight:
hello house. how is d day going.
tnks everyone for ur prayers nd love.
Light is doing great tday, Dey ve started feeding her wit some light food and fruits.
we might probably come back to Nigeria before Xmas.
tnks everyone

Awww It will surely end in praise

salsera:
Speechless. Lots of hugs Ayolight.
It ends with praise every step of the way.


Cc damiso - how is idowuogbo?

Idowu is fine.


ayolight give light hugs from me

Kimoni:


Hahahahaha she wasn't like this as a baby too oo

Like you did, I'll just wait it out and trust that she will change very soon. I'm really tired of "working hard" before every meal.

Pls where is Idowu? Abi she go do wedding she no tell us ni? Hope she's good though. My love to her

I am sure they will outgrow it.

Idowu is fine.

Kimoni:


Lewis, are you sure you ain't talking about my mum lol...my mum is also like that. Whenever she comes around, she would always enquire about where I am going to and would not hesitate to call me if I am not back by 10pm except it's a work day, it got so bad at one point that I had to tell that only my hubby had the right to ask me such questions

Like you and Damiso said, the most difficult part of it all is finding the right balance between then and now but if I were to err at all, I would err using their methods than what is obtainable now. Children have a way of knowing their parent's weaknesses and taking advantage of it to the fullest.

I also get very worried about my daughter sometimes. One problem I currently have is getting her to eat. She is losing a lot of weight from not eating coupled with the different activities typical of her age that she engages in yet she remains picky with food. I have cajoled, begged, tricked, threatened but it all seems not to be working. Sometimes, I ask myself what my parents would do if they were in my shoes *sighs*

@damiso -I honestly don't mind more kids but I don't see myself going through that 9 month journey again...lol

It seems your daughter and my son are the same. Funny enough he was not fussy as a baby but as soon as he turned 3 he just changed. Like you sometimes I think I am spoiling him by giving him too much variety or allowing him have what he likes( eg chicken and a few other things)Some days he literarily will not eat anything all day because I am trying to 'teach him a lesson' by insisting he eats what I give him. Then I feel bad cos its like am starving him. The boy will rather starve than eat what he does not like. The thing makes me so mad.

Then I remember how I used to not eat breakfast on Saturday mornings cos I hated pap and Akara. And how I hated boiled potatoes and a lot of food my mum had on her 'annoying time table'. LOL

Its tricky but I pray God gives us the grace to get the balance just about right.

Kimoni:


Something is funny here Dami. In one vein, we are berating our parents for their high-handedness in bringing up kids calling them old-skool but when we see the repercussions on those who didn't have this strict upbringing, we start appreciating them for that same high-handedness that saw us become better persons. So which is it?

Cc: Stillfire [size=4pt](sure you know why I tagged you)[/size]

Me berate ke. I cant berate them o. Now as a parent I kinda understand them.

You know how it is when you are a teenager and you think you know it all that's what I mean by I felt their own was too much. Me and my mum even joke about It now and she thinks she was not that strict( yeah right) . Me and my siblings hail her as MUMMMMMY LOL.Her car horn was alone to make you sit up.

However there is a balance which is the tricky bit for most parents. Even with my lil uns I am constantly wondering If I am being too harsh or if I am being too soft, if am hovering/ being paranoid or if I am being lax with the various judgement calls you make every day.

My parents (Dad especially) got that balance right to an extent. Obviously there were boundaries you dared not cross but somehow as we grew older there was till that feeling that you could talk to them and they got your back no matter what. I remember my dad would want to sit down and gist with you on Saturday morning if he was home. At the time that gist used to get plenty of groans and eye rolling from me and my sister but in hindsight it was just his way to stay connected to us. My mum was ( and still is even my children know grandma does not take ayokayo LOL) the stricter one but funny enough she was the ' cooler fashion one' . As liberal as my dad was he was conservative about dressing and I don't know how many times I was turned back to go and change. He has even stopped me on the road in our street once , asked me to get in the car and drove me home to go and change cos he said he saw skin when I bent down ( that man ehn). They kinda balanced each other out but were united in the basic moral standards eg curfews,being truthful,chores etc.

I still had to let my parents know where I was even when I was working and living at home.Liver no even reach me to stay out too late and even if I was I would have to tell them in advance. God knows how many times I have had to call at 11.30 pm to beg for mumsi to open the gate for my brother cos he feels he is now a big man and wants to stroll in whatever time he feels like. My brother is working o. But she will say its her house and the gate must be closed by 11pm. I tell him sha that its her house if you want to come home late go and get your own place.

Its a very serious business being a parent. Not everyone is cut out for it.

To be honest I don't think I have it in me to give anymore to another child sef.

mojeed4:


Doesn't seem like a healthy week to me. Better include it ASAP.

You are funny

mojeed4:


Really? Will love to have some then.

No eggs on the meal plan this week

mojeed4:


Just fry him the eggs and your problem is solved.

My eggs are too healthy for him

To be honest though I would rather fry them. But sometimes I am not home and he really thinks his oily eggs are delicious cos sometimes I wake up to these oily eggs. used to drain the oil in the past but now can't even stomach them.

Ewuro4:


Hmm I have an older friend whose daughter's curfew is 12am since jnr high (grd10/ss1) , I recalled, her mom was very well acquainted with her peers' parents as well and she has a phone on her 24/7 whenever she needed to spend the night at theirs. They(friends) also on many occasions had sleepover at hers too. she's currently studying Engineering in another province. Level headed kid and very prudent , she barely touched her student loan because she's been on numerous scholarships since her first year. Very impressive. And her parents are what we call antisocial so I don't know where she got her social butterfly trait from.

That was why I said so sis.

But you're right some kids are follow follow and needed to be checked like a hawk.

Ojo iku lojo isinmi Loro awon omo ode yi

Indeed at Ojo iku lojo isimi

Read sketchy bits of the whole case and again what kept on making me scared was how much work needs to be done on these kids.

I was so disturbed. To think a boy was raised not to think anything was wrong with using another person as an object repeatedly without any remorse and a girl had such low esteem to keep going back.SMH

Now I really really feel my parents

I used to think their own was too much but now I looove and appreciate them.

EfemenaXY:


Nice one Damiso - didn't know they'd backtracked on their claims, but even so, I prefer to err on the side of caution. A single egg on it's own is 70+ kcal, isn't it?

I get the bit about taking out the yolk but how many people'll have just the white on it's own? I think that's done when baking (biscuits? Patties?)

Re: the bolded, you got me laughing out loud! Yeah, similar experience here too - almost - but I've got to the stage where I'm completely intolerant of fry-up (unless I deliberately set out to cheat on "shinken 'n schips" Kimoni style)

That aside, on the rare occasions I do decide to have a "fried" egg, I simply crack one open into my non-stick pan a slowly let it cook without a single drop of oil. It comes out looking like, and tasting like a fried egg anyway. Then I sprinkle some black pepper and cress on it to give it that extra "oomph".

I managed to do my 30 mins sit-ups / lower abs workout and a 30 min run, then my lime 'n lemon concoction with cherry tomatoes & some cucumber slices + 1 litre of water for breakfast, but it's hard sister...motivating oneself during the winter months. (sigh).

Very hard I tell you . I try to sleep early though and get something in at least 4 times s week.

Yes eggs are even the IN thing for all this fitness winches I follow. Fastest ,easiest protein fix.

However like all things I think moderation is key.

mojeed4:


I wonder why he'll fry his own eggs.

Continue wondering o oga

Good morning everyone hello

Breakfast this morning grilled plantain and eggs washed down with green tea.

I am soooooo tired. Not even horses could drag me off my bed this morning to work out anything. Work out faya this weekend is proper chill and test mode for me.

Efemenaxy I think depending on your goals you can have more than 4 eggs a week. Nutritionists and health care professionals have even back tracked on the prévious high cholesterol scare on eggs. I think where one needs to cut back s bit is on the yolk but the whites are ok especially for those on high protein diets. I think the issue is more on hoe it is prepared and the additives.

These days me and hubby argue cos the amount of oil he uses to fry eggs are atrocious I fry my eggs with very very lil or no oil. Him you can use spoon to drink the oil left in the pan after he finishes.disgusting.